Farmers Union Launches Statewide PFAS Testing Grants

Two new grant programs will fund water sampling for PFAS contamination in municipal and private wells across Wisconsin.

Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Philanthropy

Bold flat-color vector editorial illustration of a steel sampling vessel on a concrete well-cap in open farmland, representing statewide water testing. — Wisconsin Farmers Union launched two statewide grant programs backed by $125 million from the PFAS Trust Fund to fund drinking water and private well sampling. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Wisconsin Farmers Union has launched two statewide grant programs to fund sampling of private wells and public water for PFAS contamination. The programs are supported by $125 million from the PFAS Trust Fund.

Why it matters

The programs give Wisconsin municipalities and private well owners a funded path to identify PFAS contamination in drinking water. Testing is the first step toward any remediation funding available through the Well Compensation Grant Programs.

The two programs are backed by $125 million from the PFAS Trust Fund, authorized under 2025 Wisconsin Acts 200 and 201. The extraction does not specify how many wells or municipalities will participate.

The players

Wisconsin Farmers Union

A statewide agricultural advocacy organization that supported the PFAS testing legislation and is administering the new grant announcement.

The details

The PFAS Community Grants Sampling Program and the Wisconsin PFAS Private Well Testing Program fund sampling of private wells and public water. Municipalities may apply for funding to develop their own sampling programs, while private well owners outside a participating municipality can receive an at-home sampling kit.

2025: Wisconsin Acts 200 and 201 authorized the PFAS grant programs.
2026: Wisconsin Farmers Union supported the bills during the legislative session.
November 1, 2026: Wisconsin Farmers Union announced the launch of the grant programs.

Philanthropy Context

The grant programs are the operational follow-through of 2025 Wisconsin Acts 200 and 201, which authorized the PFAS sampling programs. They convert those statutory authorizations into funded testing available to municipalities and private well owners.

Private well owners not located in a participating municipality can request an at-home sampling kit through the program. Municipalities interested in funding should evaluate the community grant application process.

The takeaway

Private well owners in Wisconsin who have never tested for PFAS can use an at-home kit if their municipality is not in a funded community program. Early sampling is the only way to know whether a well is affected.